National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has urged young Nigerians to learn practical skills as the country’s curriculum is outdated.
He gave the advise at the commencement of Enterprise Skills Development Training, EDET, programme for youths in Lagos, organized by Dayo Israel.
Ganduje, represented at the event by the Deputy National Chairman (South), Emma Eneukwu, explained that the current curriculum fails to equip students with the necessary skills to compete in the modern job market, leading to a surge in rate of unemployment.
He said: “In Nigeria today, our curriculum is on theories. We churn out graduates that are experts in theories but have no skills to take on entrepreneurship. Our graduates lack skills to develop anything that is going to help in the services of the society. So they end up indulging in different vices because there was no proper skill development in the tertiary institutions they attended.
“We produce graduates who are only good in speaking English but cannot embark on development of anything viable to society. They can’t boast of producing anything except speaking English.
“There’s nothing we can do to get it right except to change the curriculum. How do we change it? It is for us to include skills acquisition and practical learning in the curriculum.
“If you go to the university to get the requisite education and certification but couldn’t get a white collar job, please drop it, remove the garb of arrogance and learn a skill so that you can be useful to yourself, your family and the society.
“Let us not wait on the government for jobs as there’s no job anywhere to give. Let us understand that we are the ones that will create jobs for ourselves and others. So, if you don’t have any service to offer, you will not get anywhere. All of us need to assist the president to change the face of this country and we will do it by learning a skill”.